The Footsteps In the Snow
by XxUchiha SakuraxX
Summary: She gave up all hope on him. She was wanted by another. She fell in love. She became, grew and was satisfied. She is yet wanted by another. He has come back. Renewed? Or is he still a lost hope? [SakuIta perhaps SakuSasu later on]
1. Introduction

**The Footsteps In the Snow**

Chapter: Introduction  


I always watched you; watched you walk away in the snowy storm, always watching your back as you moved forward while I waited neither moving back nor taking a step towards you. You never called for me. Never waited for me to catch up, so I just never tried.

I saw how the snow always went around you, as if there was this invisible shield, sheltering you from anything and everything.

I remained where I was and sometimes you would turn around to me. I would see you for all the glory that you showed and all the brilliance you held. Your red eyes were entrancing and haunting. They were the things I wished to see every time I looked up. They were the things I saw in my dreams, non-stop. Your red eyes were the things I wished to see when I wake up from my slumber.

Do you hear me call your name? Do you hear it when the wind carries my whispers to your ears?

Or do my words, instead of being carried to you, get blown away?

I laugh.

I used to think I could never catch up to you. Never be able to walk by your side, never have my words reach you. But I realised.

I could be the one you watched. I could be the one who doesn't hear you call out to me. I could be the one you looked up to in awe. I could be the one you thought of all the time. I could be the one who left you behind.

You, the one who I thought I would never be able to measure up to, are the thing that kept me going; the one who pushed me, even though you didn't say a thing. You became the one who made my ambition grow stronger and stronger each day.

I should be thanking you. Grateful that you became my purpose to become stronger and be a better kunoichi.

Now I am at a place where my dreams became reality, where I had to prove my power to be in the group, where I had to be stronger than my peers, where I am an elite. A place I have found love with another pair of red eyes.

Where I stand equal with him, when I could not with you.

I laugh again.

Equal with you now?

No.

I am stronger than you now. There is no such thing even close to equal with you and I.

I have far more power than you crave and hunger for. Stronger than you could ever be. And a better fighter than you could ever imagine.

Sometimes I wondered what it would have been like if I continued to stay by your side. Wondered what things I could have possibly accomplished.

I concluded to this: Nothing.

If I had continued to watch your back, stay behind, unmoving, I could have done nothing for myself but feel sorry and regret what I have missed. I would have died in myself, little by little.


	2. Chapter One: Nameless, Her And Him

**The Footsteps In the Snow**

Um...i didn't really read over this properly. So, warnin, mistakes might be everywhere.

Disclaimer: Don't own don't own.

Chapter One: Nameless, Her And Him

_She walked on the trail and hummed softly to herself, carrying a basket of freshly made muffins and cookies. She smiled to herself, hoping Sasuke would like them because they were made especially for him. Before long, she heard the sounds of metal against metal clash against each other in the clearing as she stepped out of the woods._

_Naruto and Sasuke-kun._

_Both panting and sweat dripping down their faces. Naruto gave a grin and Sasuke smirked. With that, they were both off again. Throwing punches and kicks at the other, like their lives depended on it._

_-+-+-_

"I would appreciate it if you would not stare at me." A hard voice sounded and the whole room went silent. All eyes were on her and she was the only one, still, continuing to eat her dinner. A few smirks could be heard from here and there, she paused.

Looking up at the one who she was referring to, her eyes went cold and hard. The man, sitting at _their_ table, eating with _them_, fright struck his eyes. He quickly diverted his attention down at his food. _Why the hell is he here. _She thought, irritated. Who did he think he was? Anyone that ever sat at this table and ate at this table, the same time as everyone else, was someone part of Akatsuki and, occasionally, someone extremely powerful.

But this man.

He looked nothing but a trader. Holes in his pants that had been patched up, filthy face and, what tied all this together, was his Chakra. It was nothing but a sliver compared to the others sitting around the table.

The room began to buzz with conversation once again.

Annoyance filled her, even though her features didn't show anything.

Hiding her true emotions was something she had learned when she first came here. And she liked it that way.

The way how no one knew what she was feeling, how no one could predict what she was going to do next. Flickers of uneasiness always displayed in others eyes, displays of fright and panic sometimes.

A snicker escaped from the person across from her. She didn't have to look up to know who it was. But she looked at him and with god-speed, sent two senbon needles towards him -aiming for his damn little beady eyes.

With another snicker, he easily caught them in between his thumb and index finger. "These are quiet dangerous weapons. Should you really be playing with such things, little girl?"

She smirked.

"Oh, don't be silly Kisame, of course I know they're dangerous! But," Her eyes gleamed. "Do you?" She held up her hand, directly in front of her so that Kisame had a clear view of what she was doing, and prepared to snap her fingers.

Suddenly it hit him when he saw the same mischievous smile on her face as the one she displayed when she was getting ready to kill someone.

Just as she snapped her fingers, he threw the needles up above him. And, sure enough, an explosion erupted.

The whole room stopped for a second time and everyone's attention, was once again, on her. Deidara, sitting on the right side of Sakura, smirked. Feeling rather content seeing an explosion; something he found enjoyment in. These two were always like this at dinner.

Never a dull moment.

_-+-+-_

_A dark chuckled sounded in the clearing, echoing. A shiver was sent through out my body. That sick sound, it was sinister and vile, I had heard it from somewhere and I knew who it belonged._

_The sound was something I dreaded, I hated it with a fury and a sound I also feared._

"_What do you want, Orochimaru." Sasuke demanded. Naruto, beside him, got into fighting stance. Ready to pounce on anything that moved. Both of them glancing around the clearing and trying to feel for his Chakra._

_I unexpectedly felt this tremendous amount of evil and the bone chilling aura of a need to kill. I directed my eyes to the forest in front of me and froze with horror. I couldn't even blink, let alone breath, 'His' eyes stared back at me._

_-+-+-_

She pulled the door open and stepped through, closing it behind her. The room was dark, with only a fire place as the source of light and heat. A bed hidden in the darkest part of the room, a desk and a chair by the door. She smiled as she felt the familiar Chakra. "I thought you weren't supposed to be due back for another week."

"Mission was cut short." His voice, deep and like velvet, sounded from the bed. She took off her Akatsuki cloak and threw it on the chair sitting next to the door. Underneath she wore a simple black tank top with a black skirt. Her boots was the only sound in the room as she made her way to him.

She sat on the edge of the bed and gently pulled back the silk cover off of the one underneath it. Even in the dim light, she could see his wound. She sighed.

Softly, she ran her finger tips down his chest, going over his bandaged abdomen. She brought her fingers to her lips and lightly licked her finger. The taste of metallic filled her mouth. She looked back down at him, his eyes fixed on her the whole time.

She leaned down and cupped his cheek. "Don't be so careless." With that, she climbed on the bed and straddled him, with her hand over the wound. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes. As she exhaled, the bottom of her hand glowed green.

Her face was calm and the energy surrounded the two of them, making the gravity seem to dissipate. Her hair lifted, even her tank-top seemed to have ruffled once in a while. He wanted to touch her, wanted to reach up and feel every inch of her. All of her that he missed for the past month. But he couldn't.

Now, he had to recover and let her heal him. He had lost much blood, attacks were all remarkably close to his heart and lungs.

Him and his clumsiness, was all he had to say.

After ten minutes, she finally stopped. Re-opening her eyes, they were hazed and fatigue showed. She got off of him. He slowly sat up as she went to retrieve her necessaries.

"I've closed most of the punctures but you still have to watch what you do these next two to three days. We don't want them opening again." She instructed him, taking a glass tube, she slowly manipulated the liquid, trapped within her hands, in and closed the top. "It's a poison I found in one of your wounds." She inspected it. "I've never seen this before." Answering the unvoiced question from the one sitting up on the bed.

She set the tube in her back pouch and began to unwrap the blood stained bandages on him. Grabbing a wet cloth, she wiped away the blood covering his muscular chest. "You really have to be careful." She half muttered to herself, knowing he never listens, and half lectured. She re-bandaged him with fresh cloth and laid him back down.

It was weird.

He never saw himself weak when she helped him. Never thought he didn't need her help because, really, if she hadn't been here, he wouldn't have recovered fully from some of the injuries he had receive.

She pulled the silk covers over him.

She smirked.

That was his trademark, she had got that smirk from him. "Sometimes I feel like your mother!" She teased, once again sitting on the edge of the bed. Leaning down, she brushed her lips over his and placed her forehead against his.

Their eyes locked.

Red.

Emerald.

She smiled.

He wiggled his arms out of the covers and wrapped them around her small waist, closing the distance between them. He tilted his head up and as soon as their lips touched, he ravaged her mouth with his tongue. She softly moaned, running her hand through his hair, to the back of his head, where she curled her fist and pushed him towards her even more.

He pulled back, only to go down to her neck; sucking and nipping.

He always left her breathless.

It didn't matter how many times he'd kiss her, every single time, the affect was still the same. She tilted her head back and gave a sharp moan. She loved it.

The things he did, maybe he was a God.

To her, it didn't seem possible for a human to work such sensations that were sent throughout her body in constant waves.

Her attention was drawn to the hand that had made it's way under her tank-top. Thumbing her hard nipple. She gave a sudden quick and short gasp as she felt her skin being punctured.

He had bite her neck, hard, drawing blood which he happily lapped up.

_-+-+-_

"_Sakura." I heard someone call out to me. It wasn't very clear but I heard it, barely. I opened my eyes slowly and found myself looking up at the faces of Naruto and Sasuke looking down at me. _

"_What happened?" I asked, slowly sitting up._

_Sasuke straightened up and looked else where while Naruto helped me up. I saw Sasuke give an annoyed sigh. "What happened?" I asked again, I looked to Naruto for answers. Then I remembered what had happened earlier. "Where is he? Did you guys fight him?" I asked without being aware of the fact that they were both fine, no scratches and what not._

"_Orochimaru," Naruto started slowly. "He didn't how his face, we only heard his voice in the clearing. H-He said that…" He paused, unsure of himself._

"_Said what?" I asked, I was afraid. Anything from Orochimaru was bad._

"_He was going to kill you." What… Kill me? I was at a lost of words. Why would he want to kill me? "He didn't tell us why but he just told us to watch over you carefully." _

"_I-I don't understand. Why me?" I stuttered out the words. Naruto had a look of distress on his face. That look. It was out of place. Naruto wasn't one to have a expression like that and, somehow, it was hard for me to see._

_I turned quickly to Sasuke. Answers! Please, tell me! My eyes pleaded and pleaded but he did not look at me. He couldn't look at me. "Sasuke…"_

_-+-+-_

She stirred awake and tilted her head slightly back, to look at the one who had their arms around her waist. His eyes were closed and his breath was short and soft. With his mouth slightly parted, his breathing gently hit the back of her neck.

She slowly turned her body around so that she was facing him. He didn't move. She studied him. Studied his jaw line, down to him neck where last night she had sucked and kissed. Her eyes wondered to his naked but tanned chest and biceps. She inspected his bandages and saw no blood. Surly a good sign.

She cupped his cheek with her left hand. In the instant that she touched him, his eyes shot open. When most would have jumped, she just blinked back at him. She sat up and used her right arm to support her. Her left hand had moved down to his chest, tracing small circles.

_Shut you out and kill you from my mind._

The two of them watched the other without saying a word. And for awhile, the world consisted of only her and him. Nothing less, nothing more. However, they broke apart when a wave of Chakra washed over the two of them.

It was familiar.

With a sigh, she jumped off of the bed quickly and pulled on her clothes that were at the foot of the bed. And he did the same as well. Excluding the sigh. In almost the same time, the two of them were out of the door and heading down the hall, out a wooden door and into fresh air and morning light.

It was still early. The sky was a dark purple and hints of orange and pink were scarcely visible.

She pulled her hair in a pony tail and tied on her headband in her usual style. "Kabuto-san! What brings you here on such a lovely morning?" She asked, her voice dripping with honey. It was quiet repulsive, she had thought to herself.

The Sharingan user stood next to her and glared at the one across, standing a few feet away from them.

"Ah, it's a pleasure to see you as always. I have a message from Orochimaru." He addressed to the silent one. He pushed up his glasses and his lips curled in a sadistic manner. "You better protect her good."

"She does not need such a thing." He replied, with nothing but a scowl. The girl stood silently with confusion on her features.

Kabuto smirked and, almost like he was another person, he turned to the girl and smiled gently. He gave her a wave. "I'm off." He left, leaving nothing but a swirl of dust that flew up after him.

_Bleed, bleed heavily. Bleed all that you have. Bleed until the waters are tainted with red._

"I have done as you asked, Orochimaru-sama." He said, giving the man sitting on his chair and bow. "He knows. I suspect he knows what's coming." Kabuto couldn't quiet see the other's reaction but he could tell it was a positive one when he saw the barely noticeable smirk on his face. In the dark, with a few candles here and there, he could feel- and practically see- the over whelming wicked aura that sent chills up his spine. Despite the fact he had felt it so many times, it was something hard to get used to.

The man in the chair chuckled, his voice filled with tainted darkness. "Good."

"So," She panted, jumping up as he nearly sliced off her legs, swinging down with two katanas. "Are you-" Dodging again as his feet were coming up to kick her in the face. She grabbed his leg and was about to swing him into the trees next to them when she saw him about to stab her with his katana. She pushed with all her might against his leg that she had held onto, only just got away as she saw a small strand of her hair detached from the rest of it. "-Going to tell me what Kabuto was talking about?"

She was able to make it back to her own katana, embedded in the ground. But as soon as she drew the weapon, he was in front of her. She pulled her blade up just in time to block the attack. She pushed him back with the sword. Two shurikens were flying at her but she deflected them easily. Reaching to her holster, she pulled out four senbon needles and threw them at him. As his attention was currently on the needles, she disappeared and reappeared behind him. An opening, she held the katana against his throat.

"Gotcha!" She smiled at herself proudly but it dropped when his body made a poof sound and turned into a log. His smirk could be heard from behind her, she froze. Now she was the one at the mercy.

"What you doing there?" He looked up at the voice and saw her standing on top of a tree with her finger on her cheek and her head tilted to the side. Giving him a puzzling look.

She was toying with him.

Immediately, he dropped the body, that disappeared in a puff of smoke. He ran to her as full speed. She smiled.

She ran to him as well, meeting him half way.

The two of them entwined in a fierce battle for domination. They moved so fast, not even the normal Jounin could catch their movements. Only the sound of blade against blade could be heard.

"Kunoichi."

Covered in sweat and both slightly panting, they stopped. She turned and saw Kisame standing at the edge of the clearing. "What." Her voice sounded harsher than intended, annoyed with the fact their training was interrupted.

"You should come see this."


End file.
